Last week , according to leaker Mark Gurman and others , Apple held a glitzy case event where its 100 most influential employees aim to see the latest progress of the mixed - realness headset project . This project is expected to climax in a public launch later on this year , likely atWWDCin June , which stand for the showcase event should have had an line of both conclusiveness and celebration – but it appears this was not entirely so .
For all the tawdriness and glamor , however , it is evident from Gurman ’s account and particularly from a more criticalparallel reportin the New York Times that all is not well in the Apple camp . “ As the company prepares to introduce the headset in June , ” write the NYT , citing the testimony of multiple current and former employees , “ exuberance at Apple has pass on mode to scepticism . ” The paper name the high $ 3,000 price , and the problematic usefulness and marketability of the product as key vexation , and reports that some members of faculty have been so doubtful of the undertaking ’s viability that they have desert to different parts of the business , while others have been fired for “ lack of progress with some aspects of the headset , including its use of Apple ’s Siri voice assistant . ”
The original Apple Watch was n’t a hit out of the gate , but its plushy solid - gold model got a caboodle of attending .
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Gurman , more tactfully , describes Apple executive as being “ clear - eyed about Apple ’s challenges pushing into this new grocery store , ” and say they are “ striking a realistic musical note within the fellowship . This is n’t move to be a attain product right out of the gate . ”
theme of disbelief and disagreement relate to Apple ’s headset are not fresh . in the first place this month we covered claims that Apple fashion designer lobbied to defer the headset ’s launch until the applied science became more advanced and that Tim Cookoverruled these concernsand insisted on a launching this class . A glimpse at a calendar alone , indeed , would give clues to long - running trouble : Apple has been talk up its pastime in AR and VRsince at least 2016but has yet to set up any existent hardware for this market place . It ’s relevant , perhaps , that even back in 2016 Cook was careful to steer out that “ there are some really knockout engineering challenge ” and to warn that it would take some time for AR to become “ satisfactory , ” a cautious caution for a potentially business - changing product category .
Gurman talk about the idea that the so - call Reality Pro mixed - realness headset could follow the same path as the Apple Watch , by which he means an challenging but low - profit launching conform to by improved and cheap follow - up versions and a gradual evolution towards an eventual mart niche . It took the Apple Watch several generations to find its purpose as a health and fitness twist , something which was n’t clear when it arrived with a $ 10,000 amber selection .
Gurman may be right about this , and it ’s always risky to underestimate Apple ’s powers of marketing . But such a exploit would be far more telling this fourth dimension around because the headset will be so much more fresh than a smartwatch and much more ostentatious and uncomfortable to break . It ’s much hard to deal other adopters on the potential of an data-based new machine if it costs $ 3,000 , too , which stand for there will be fewer models in the wild to sow the rarity of the next generation of customers .
If we ’re not convinced , we can usually count on Apple ’s hype engine to tell us why we ’re wrong . But if Apple ’s own employee ca n’t see through the realness distortion field of operation , it ’s a distressing sign for a company that is normally so good at putting out a consistent and enthusiastic subject matter .
Keep up with the in style news program and hearsay with our on a regular basis updated guide toApple ’s sundry - realness headset .
